How To Find a Good Boxing Gym
July 4, 2010
by Johnny N
Boxing Basics, Boxing Gyms
EXPERTBOXING.com
Boxing can be a dangerous sport so it’s extremely important that your trainer and gym is teaching you proper
technique. Here are some tips to finding a good boxing gym.
As a general guideline, your boxing gym should be an encouraging atmosphere for learning the sport of boxing. A
real legitimate boxing gym should be focused on proper technique and constant improvement. Your trainer should
be able to tailor workouts to your physical abilities and explain to you the details of certain boxing techniques.
To start out, you should probably ask around through friends and search on Google Maps for “boxing” near your
address. Check out several gyms and talk to a few trainers. Be honest and upfront with them as to what goals you
plan to achieve in boxing (fitness, amateur competition, boxing professionally, supplementing other martial arts skills)
and let them know what your budget is. Most individuals in boxing do it out of passion since the sport itself is very
difficult and many people quit for that reason.
Different types of fitness centers that teach boxing:
YOUTH CENTER
These are the typical after-school programs designed to keep youth off the streets and out of gangs. There are
usually all sorts of people in here – kids, women, old men, and anyone else from the neighborhood looking for a
good workout. You’ll see a few professionals and many young amateur boxers here. The atmosphere is real friendly
and you’ll get a lot of personal attention here.
The cost is minimal and most of the trainers are old veterans that love teaching people for the love of boxing. It’s
common for you to come numerous times and the subject of money doesn’t even come up. Just show up at the gym
and ask a random person how much it costs to train there. Tell them, “Hi, I’m Billy! What’s your daily fee?” They’ll
laugh because they’ll be unable to come up with a number and probably say, “Who cares? Put on some gloves… I’ll
be with you in 5 minutes.” These gyms are good for learning but not good for developing advanced level skills.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING GYM
You’ll recognize one by its smell – like a old sock unwashed for weeks. Tons of professionals and serious fighters all
crowded into one open area like some kind of crazy “boxing zoo”. You can spot the pros easily, just look for the guys
wearing shirts that are completely drenched in sweat. You will get TOP-NOTCH battle-tested 110% authentic
instruction. You’ll see world-class sparring everyday. The atmosphere can be quite intimidating (imagine guys
cracking the heavy bag for hours without getting tired) but at the same time very inspirational and inspiring. The cost
can range from $15 to $50 a session depending on the trainer’s ego.
There’s usually dozens of trainers working out of a single busy pro gym and you can shop around each day until you
find one you really like. I’ve been able to work with former world champions for as little as $15 per workout! The
atmosphere here might seem intimidating at first because you see few women or children but don’t worry. The
fighters here are all hardcore and train to fight. Your workout WILL definitely push you beyond your limit. The
trainers are old-fashion in that you’ll never hear compliments on anything you do right. The sparring here can be
quite tough so don’t be too proud to ask the other fighter to go easy on you.
MMA GYM
MMA gyms come in two varieties – the REAL and the FAKE. The “real” MMA gyms sell themselves as the ALL-IN-
ONE martial arts fight centers where they give classes on everything and supposedly “specialize in everything”. Real
MMA gym will offer classes on all sorts of fighting arts such as grappling, kickboxing, and boxing. Their knowledge of
boxing is pretty good. My only complaint about some MMA gyms it that they only focus only on the basics and
aspects of boxing that are useful for MMA combat. They don’t teach you the true intricacies of boxing and many fun
tactics are left out because they conflict with principles of kickboxing or grappling. If you run into a FAKE commercial
MMA gym, then it’s really just another “fat camp” or commercial gym in disguise as a fighting gym.
FITNESS GYMS
These commercial gyms should definitely be avoided if you want to learn serious boxing technique. These fitness
gyms are purely in it for the money and their motives are easy to spot. Their gym is very clean, often spacious, and
they offer a wide assortments of price deals and training packages . The training is run more like cardio/aerobics
sessions and I like to call them “fat camp”. These gyms typically have the worst boxing instruction and charge you
the most money. The plus side is that you’ll see the most women here and so they are more comfortable for women
who don’t like training alongside men.
My favorite telltale signs of good boxing gyms:
AUTHENTIC MEMORABILIA
The easiest way to tell if the gym is legitimate is if you see AUTHENTIC memorabilia plastered on the wall. Good
gyms are typically plastered with newspaper clippings and autographed photos of their past/current/future fighters
winning local & national tournaments. You will also see posters of upcoming tournaments and local boxing shows
(showing their constant involvement in the local boxing scene). What you DON’T want to see is the usual framed
posters of Ali & Tyson. A local gym should be excited about it’s local fighters!
YOU CAN MEET THE OWNER/HEAD TRAINER
I’ve typically found that the best gyms are ones where you can meet the owner and head trainer. You get to judge
the personality behind the gym and the man behind the principles. You can see if the trainer and gym is working in
your best interests.
CONTROLLED SPARRING
Watch a few sparring sessions and see how the trainers coach their fighters. You want to see controlled sparring
where the fighters are being instructed TO BOX, NOT TO FIGHT. Good boxing gyms are not underground fight
clubs and athletes should not be allowed to wail on each other until one quits. The key is to listen to the adjustments
made by trainers.
FATHER/SON TRAINER/BOXERS
Seeing fathers training their sons at the gym is a very good sign. There is no love like a parent’s and usually a
father will seek out the very best gym possible for their son to train in. If you see a father preparing his son for
competition at the gym, you can trust he’s probably already staked out many other gyms.
A BUSY RING
The ring is probably the most important piece of boxing equipment. That is where you learn how to fight, that is
where you truly learn how to box! If you see 30 people in the gym and NOBODY is in the ring, that should be a giant
flag. In great gyms, the ring is always in use–you never see it empty. Somebody is shadowboxing, hitting the mitts, or
sparring in there. There should always be people waiting in line to get into the ring!
MANY TRAINERS
The best gyms I’ve been to are full of trainers. Quite often, there may be almost as many trainers as there are
fighters. Aside from the fact that some pros have more than one trainer (usually 1 trainer + 1 conditioning coach +
his father/brother), it’s very common for many old boxers and trainers to hang around the best gyms. You shouldn’t
see 1 or 2 trainers dominating the place. It’s more like a community of trainers each giving opinions of their style and
expertise discussing and refining teh sweet science together each and every day. Chances are, if the gym is full of
trainers…it might also be full of talent! Even if you never get good, at least you always have someone correcting
your form. In one day, I might be corrected 10 times by 3 different trainers.
COMPETITION FIGHTERS
If the gym isn’t training fighters to compete, it’s probably training them for weight loss. There’s nothing wrong with
this, but just know that if you want to compete, you should look for a gym full of competing fighters. Look for groin
protectors hanging around the gym. Look for guys in sauna suits.
HOW TO SPOT A BAD BOXING GYM
A bad boxing gym is one that doesn’t care for you personally. You should be noticed and given at least a little
attention every time you come to workout. Boxing is a sport that emphasizes hitting and not getting hit so it’s crucial
that someone is looking out for you. Many gyms disgust me because the sparring is too tough on the beginners or
the trainers spend more time training their “favorites” than they do with the other kids. I’ve seen many potentially
good fighters get thrown in as “shark bait” so that the better trained fighters can practice their skills on unsuspecting
“new guys”. This common practice is a bit like hazing where new guys have to earn their respect before the trainers
will take them seriously.
Another disgusting trait of bad gyms is how they focus more on winning than they do on boxing improvement. Over
time, this bad habit develops into just teaching fighters on how to cheat instead of using superior boxing skills to win.
It doesn’t matter how many awards the gym has won or if Mike Tyson trained there; if you don’t feel comfortable
training there, find a new boxing gym!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON GOOD BOXING GYMS
A good trainer and boxing gym will listen to your every need. You shouldn’t be forced to spar when you don’t feel like
it. Your workouts should be flexible to your ability and not what the athlete next to you just did. A good boxing gym
doesn’t need to have the latest training equipment, former world champions as trainers, or the cleanest facility; it just
needs to have a healthy atmosphere that emphasizes solid boxing technique and gives you room to grow. A good
gym and trainer should be able to challenge you without taking you beyond your limits. I do hope that you all find a
good gym and get to enjoy and love the sport of boxing as I do.
July 4, 2010
by Johnny N
Boxing Basics, Boxing Gyms
EXPERTBOXING.com
Boxing can be a dangerous sport so it’s extremely important that your trainer and gym is teaching you proper
technique. Here are some tips to finding a good boxing gym.
As a general guideline, your boxing gym should be an encouraging atmosphere for learning the sport of boxing. A
real legitimate boxing gym should be focused on proper technique and constant improvement. Your trainer should
be able to tailor workouts to your physical abilities and explain to you the details of certain boxing techniques.
To start out, you should probably ask around through friends and search on Google Maps for “boxing” near your
address. Check out several gyms and talk to a few trainers. Be honest and upfront with them as to what goals you
plan to achieve in boxing (fitness, amateur competition, boxing professionally, supplementing other martial arts skills)
and let them know what your budget is. Most individuals in boxing do it out of passion since the sport itself is very
difficult and many people quit for that reason.
Different types of fitness centers that teach boxing:
YOUTH CENTER
These are the typical after-school programs designed to keep youth off the streets and out of gangs. There are
usually all sorts of people in here – kids, women, old men, and anyone else from the neighborhood looking for a
good workout. You’ll see a few professionals and many young amateur boxers here. The atmosphere is real friendly
and you’ll get a lot of personal attention here.
The cost is minimal and most of the trainers are old veterans that love teaching people for the love of boxing. It’s
common for you to come numerous times and the subject of money doesn’t even come up. Just show up at the gym
and ask a random person how much it costs to train there. Tell them, “Hi, I’m Billy! What’s your daily fee?” They’ll
laugh because they’ll be unable to come up with a number and probably say, “Who cares? Put on some gloves… I’ll
be with you in 5 minutes.” These gyms are good for learning but not good for developing advanced level skills.
PROFESSIONAL BOXING GYM
You’ll recognize one by its smell – like a old sock unwashed for weeks. Tons of professionals and serious fighters all
crowded into one open area like some kind of crazy “boxing zoo”. You can spot the pros easily, just look for the guys
wearing shirts that are completely drenched in sweat. You will get TOP-NOTCH battle-tested 110% authentic
instruction. You’ll see world-class sparring everyday. The atmosphere can be quite intimidating (imagine guys
cracking the heavy bag for hours without getting tired) but at the same time very inspirational and inspiring. The cost
can range from $15 to $50 a session depending on the trainer’s ego.
There’s usually dozens of trainers working out of a single busy pro gym and you can shop around each day until you
find one you really like. I’ve been able to work with former world champions for as little as $15 per workout! The
atmosphere here might seem intimidating at first because you see few women or children but don’t worry. The
fighters here are all hardcore and train to fight. Your workout WILL definitely push you beyond your limit. The
trainers are old-fashion in that you’ll never hear compliments on anything you do right. The sparring here can be
quite tough so don’t be too proud to ask the other fighter to go easy on you.
MMA GYM
MMA gyms come in two varieties – the REAL and the FAKE. The “real” MMA gyms sell themselves as the ALL-IN-
ONE martial arts fight centers where they give classes on everything and supposedly “specialize in everything”. Real
MMA gym will offer classes on all sorts of fighting arts such as grappling, kickboxing, and boxing. Their knowledge of
boxing is pretty good. My only complaint about some MMA gyms it that they only focus only on the basics and
aspects of boxing that are useful for MMA combat. They don’t teach you the true intricacies of boxing and many fun
tactics are left out because they conflict with principles of kickboxing or grappling. If you run into a FAKE commercial
MMA gym, then it’s really just another “fat camp” or commercial gym in disguise as a fighting gym.
FITNESS GYMS
These commercial gyms should definitely be avoided if you want to learn serious boxing technique. These fitness
gyms are purely in it for the money and their motives are easy to spot. Their gym is very clean, often spacious, and
they offer a wide assortments of price deals and training packages . The training is run more like cardio/aerobics
sessions and I like to call them “fat camp”. These gyms typically have the worst boxing instruction and charge you
the most money. The plus side is that you’ll see the most women here and so they are more comfortable for women
who don’t like training alongside men.
My favorite telltale signs of good boxing gyms:
AUTHENTIC MEMORABILIA
The easiest way to tell if the gym is legitimate is if you see AUTHENTIC memorabilia plastered on the wall. Good
gyms are typically plastered with newspaper clippings and autographed photos of their past/current/future fighters
winning local & national tournaments. You will also see posters of upcoming tournaments and local boxing shows
(showing their constant involvement in the local boxing scene). What you DON’T want to see is the usual framed
posters of Ali & Tyson. A local gym should be excited about it’s local fighters!
YOU CAN MEET THE OWNER/HEAD TRAINER
I’ve typically found that the best gyms are ones where you can meet the owner and head trainer. You get to judge
the personality behind the gym and the man behind the principles. You can see if the trainer and gym is working in
your best interests.
CONTROLLED SPARRING
Watch a few sparring sessions and see how the trainers coach their fighters. You want to see controlled sparring
where the fighters are being instructed TO BOX, NOT TO FIGHT. Good boxing gyms are not underground fight
clubs and athletes should not be allowed to wail on each other until one quits. The key is to listen to the adjustments
made by trainers.
FATHER/SON TRAINER/BOXERS
Seeing fathers training their sons at the gym is a very good sign. There is no love like a parent’s and usually a
father will seek out the very best gym possible for their son to train in. If you see a father preparing his son for
competition at the gym, you can trust he’s probably already staked out many other gyms.
A BUSY RING
The ring is probably the most important piece of boxing equipment. That is where you learn how to fight, that is
where you truly learn how to box! If you see 30 people in the gym and NOBODY is in the ring, that should be a giant
flag. In great gyms, the ring is always in use–you never see it empty. Somebody is shadowboxing, hitting the mitts, or
sparring in there. There should always be people waiting in line to get into the ring!
MANY TRAINERS
The best gyms I’ve been to are full of trainers. Quite often, there may be almost as many trainers as there are
fighters. Aside from the fact that some pros have more than one trainer (usually 1 trainer + 1 conditioning coach +
his father/brother), it’s very common for many old boxers and trainers to hang around the best gyms. You shouldn’t
see 1 or 2 trainers dominating the place. It’s more like a community of trainers each giving opinions of their style and
expertise discussing and refining teh sweet science together each and every day. Chances are, if the gym is full of
trainers…it might also be full of talent! Even if you never get good, at least you always have someone correcting
your form. In one day, I might be corrected 10 times by 3 different trainers.
COMPETITION FIGHTERS
If the gym isn’t training fighters to compete, it’s probably training them for weight loss. There’s nothing wrong with
this, but just know that if you want to compete, you should look for a gym full of competing fighters. Look for groin
protectors hanging around the gym. Look for guys in sauna suits.
HOW TO SPOT A BAD BOXING GYM
A bad boxing gym is one that doesn’t care for you personally. You should be noticed and given at least a little
attention every time you come to workout. Boxing is a sport that emphasizes hitting and not getting hit so it’s crucial
that someone is looking out for you. Many gyms disgust me because the sparring is too tough on the beginners or
the trainers spend more time training their “favorites” than they do with the other kids. I’ve seen many potentially
good fighters get thrown in as “shark bait” so that the better trained fighters can practice their skills on unsuspecting
“new guys”. This common practice is a bit like hazing where new guys have to earn their respect before the trainers
will take them seriously.
Another disgusting trait of bad gyms is how they focus more on winning than they do on boxing improvement. Over
time, this bad habit develops into just teaching fighters on how to cheat instead of using superior boxing skills to win.
It doesn’t matter how many awards the gym has won or if Mike Tyson trained there; if you don’t feel comfortable
training there, find a new boxing gym!
FINAL THOUGHTS ON GOOD BOXING GYMS
A good trainer and boxing gym will listen to your every need. You shouldn’t be forced to spar when you don’t feel like
it. Your workouts should be flexible to your ability and not what the athlete next to you just did. A good boxing gym
doesn’t need to have the latest training equipment, former world champions as trainers, or the cleanest facility; it just
needs to have a healthy atmosphere that emphasizes solid boxing technique and gives you room to grow. A good
gym and trainer should be able to challenge you without taking you beyond your limits. I do hope that you all find a
good gym and get to enjoy and love the sport of boxing as I do.
| Johnny Nguyen EXPERTBOXING.com |
After years of waiting for someone to invest their time in writing an article on how to determine differences between
certain types of boxing gyms, it's finally here! I considered writing an article on this myself but I would have just been
an asshole and described the things we do here at our gym as good and name a few gyms with idiots as coaches as
the bad gyms. I'm sure this would have been great for our boxing community.
This article was written by Johnny Nguyen in 2010.I've never spoken to this person other than asking his permission
to post this article here on my site.
Growing up in the sport I've had my share of experiences at different gyms. Not just here locally but around the
county and other parts of the world. I've had the privlidge of sharing the same gym with many world champions
(Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar dela Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Diobleys Hurtado etc.) and Olympic
teams/boxers. (1995/96 Olympic teams from other countries, Floyd Mayweather, Diego Corrales, Antonio Tarver, Eric Morel, Lawrence
Clay-Bey, Felix Savon, Joel Cassamayor, Oktay Urkal, etc..) I've also had the privilege of working with and being around many
great trainers. (George Benton, , Roger Bloodworth, Ronnie Shields, Freddy Roach w/ Marlon Starling, Jesse Ravelo, Omar Alaniz,
Joe Sanders, Miguel Diaz, Dan & Joe Goosen, etc) Many of the things I did early on as coach were based soely on these
experiences. As the years went by I've kept the things that worked and discarded the things that didn't. These
experiences have helped me developed a style of coaching with one purpose in mind, HIT and DON'T GET HIT!
The opinions shared by Johnny Nguyen on how to find a good gym are in line with our coaching here at Ramos
Boxing.
Anyone with any real boxing knowledge/experience will COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND this article. Those who lack
experience or are in the sport for the wrong reasons will have a very difficult time comprehending this article in its
entirely.
Every person who decides to take up the sport of boxing should understand the dangers of our sport. The sport of
boxing is not like other sports. I recently came across a quote the summed up boxing and other sports accurately,
"You play sports, you don't play boxing".
Not all coaches have the luxury of experience on their side. In order to be a good coach one doesn't need to have
this long resume of boxing accomplishments. Some good coaches have never set foot in the ring! The difference is
that in order to learn about the sport you must be humble. You must invest your time to research and take your job
seriously. You must understand that if a boxer is ever seriously injured or dies in the ring, some of that responsibility
will fall directly on you. Understand that not ALL injuires/death can be avoided. As a coach it is your responsbility to
give your boxers the tools to minimize the risk of such accidents. If you fail to teach your boxer how to avoid punches
and he gets injured, it's your fault. If you've taught your boxers how to avoid punches,accidents can still happen. The
difference between the two is that once you give your boxers the tools they need to go to battle they must use them.
If they don't use the things you've taught them you must be honest with your boxer and ask them to look for another
sport. Explain the dangers of the sport so they understand where your opinion is coming from. Make sure they
understand it's cause you give a damn. Standing idle while your boxer gets pummeled right in front of you is not
giving a damn. Let them know if you didn't you'd continue to put him in the ring without concern for his health. Let
them know a career in boxing is not in their best interest but continuing to train for the love of the sport with minimal
contact is their best option.
Imagine a father choosing a boxing gym/trainer for his son/daughter cause the child has a dream to be somebody in
the sport. After years in the sport, the son/daughter has a slurred speech, brain damage or dies in the ring. How
would you as a parent feel knowing that you were the one who made the decision on choosing this gym/trainer?
ENJOY!
Arturo Ramos III
certain types of boxing gyms, it's finally here! I considered writing an article on this myself but I would have just been
an asshole and described the things we do here at our gym as good and name a few gyms with idiots as coaches as
the bad gyms. I'm sure this would have been great for our boxing community.
This article was written by Johnny Nguyen in 2010.I've never spoken to this person other than asking his permission
to post this article here on my site.
Growing up in the sport I've had my share of experiences at different gyms. Not just here locally but around the
county and other parts of the world. I've had the privlidge of sharing the same gym with many world champions
(Evander Holyfield, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Oscar dela Hoya, Vernon Forrest, Diobleys Hurtado etc.) and Olympic
teams/boxers. (1995/96 Olympic teams from other countries, Floyd Mayweather, Diego Corrales, Antonio Tarver, Eric Morel, Lawrence
Clay-Bey, Felix Savon, Joel Cassamayor, Oktay Urkal, etc..) I've also had the privilege of working with and being around many
great trainers. (George Benton, , Roger Bloodworth, Ronnie Shields, Freddy Roach w/ Marlon Starling, Jesse Ravelo, Omar Alaniz,
Joe Sanders, Miguel Diaz, Dan & Joe Goosen, etc) Many of the things I did early on as coach were based soely on these
experiences. As the years went by I've kept the things that worked and discarded the things that didn't. These
experiences have helped me developed a style of coaching with one purpose in mind, HIT and DON'T GET HIT!
The opinions shared by Johnny Nguyen on how to find a good gym are in line with our coaching here at Ramos
Boxing.
Anyone with any real boxing knowledge/experience will COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND this article. Those who lack
experience or are in the sport for the wrong reasons will have a very difficult time comprehending this article in its
entirely.
Every person who decides to take up the sport of boxing should understand the dangers of our sport. The sport of
boxing is not like other sports. I recently came across a quote the summed up boxing and other sports accurately,
"You play sports, you don't play boxing".
Not all coaches have the luxury of experience on their side. In order to be a good coach one doesn't need to have
this long resume of boxing accomplishments. Some good coaches have never set foot in the ring! The difference is
that in order to learn about the sport you must be humble. You must invest your time to research and take your job
seriously. You must understand that if a boxer is ever seriously injured or dies in the ring, some of that responsibility
will fall directly on you. Understand that not ALL injuires/death can be avoided. As a coach it is your responsbility to
give your boxers the tools to minimize the risk of such accidents. If you fail to teach your boxer how to avoid punches
and he gets injured, it's your fault. If you've taught your boxers how to avoid punches,accidents can still happen. The
difference between the two is that once you give your boxers the tools they need to go to battle they must use them.
If they don't use the things you've taught them you must be honest with your boxer and ask them to look for another
sport. Explain the dangers of the sport so they understand where your opinion is coming from. Make sure they
understand it's cause you give a damn. Standing idle while your boxer gets pummeled right in front of you is not
giving a damn. Let them know if you didn't you'd continue to put him in the ring without concern for his health. Let
them know a career in boxing is not in their best interest but continuing to train for the love of the sport with minimal
contact is their best option.
Imagine a father choosing a boxing gym/trainer for his son/daughter cause the child has a dream to be somebody in
the sport. After years in the sport, the son/daughter has a slurred speech, brain damage or dies in the ring. How
would you as a parent feel knowing that you were the one who made the decision on choosing this gym/trainer?
ENJOY!
Arturo Ramos III
| Is your boxing gym a gym? Is your boxing coach a coach or a HBO 24/7 poser, pretending to be a coach? |